Best Brand Activation – Premier League
WINNER
Manchester United FC & Cadbury
Cadbury and Manchester United launched their partnership in a unique way: by shining a spotlight on loneliness among the elderly. It’s an issue that affects 1.4 million people in the UK alone, with 225,000 often going a week without speaking to anyone. The campaign launch included a visit to Old Trafford by a group of elderly United fans who met the players on the pitch as match day
Guests of Honour — creating uplifting images which were beamed around the world. The campaign became even more resonant when the pandemic struck shortly after the partnership launched, with so many elderly people caught in social isolation. Using the powerful platforms of two of the UK’s best-known and loved brands, Cadbury and Manchester United issued a call to action for fans to support the elderly in their communities, whilst raising awareness of their own new partnership.
SILVER
Chelsea FC & Three – Support Someone Else
By appearing to challenge fan loyalty, this campaign was driven by an attention-grabbing moment; however, the true meaning behind the “Support Someone Else” initiative was soon clear. After an incredibly challenging year, Chelsea and Three were encouraging everyone to reach out to friends, family, loved ones (and even rivals) throughout the festive period. Encouraging people to pick up the phone, send a text or just check-in with those around you because you never know how important that could be to someone.
The campaign ultimately raised awareness of Three’s sponsorship through utilising Chelsea’s global reach and having access to household names such as Frank Lampard and Emma Hayes. The execution was bold and unexpected but the message important and timely. The campaign had a huge impact on all football fans, as well as relevance to a far wider audience who were potentially struggling with mental health or loneliness due to Covid 19 restrictions.
The campaign was fantastic for brand engagement, with Lampard’s video content delivering a reach of 8,065,069 and 1,842,082 views across Facebook and Instagram, while Twitter video views were 143% above the partner average for CFC. Meanwhile 33 pieces of coverage were generated, with 100% positive sentiment for Three.
BRONZE
Manchester City & Xylem – The End of Football
The end of football The most popular sport in the world finished Sounds terrifying doesn’t it?
While it may seem unimaginable, the threat may be closer than we think. As a result of climate change, the UK Environmental Protection Agency has issued multiple warnings of severe water shortages across the UK by 2045 To drive public awareness and encourage bold action, global water technology provider Xylem and Man City developed the ‘End of Football’ campaign that leverages the emotional match day experience to inspire viewers to take action on water issues.
The campaign comprises the main film and the ‘Water Hero Playbook’. The film takes viewers on an emotional journey following the life of a young City fan as she grows up watching football in the present day, before depicting a future in which the game is put on an indefinite pause due to water shortages. The ‘Playbook’ provides actionable tips on how fans can reduce their water footprint
The results are exceptional – within three weeks we reached 473 2 million (nearly 5x our stretch target), had 165 PR mentions (3x our target), 10 8 million views of the film (organic YouTube views 8x club benchmark), and engagement rates
